Letter Quest: Grimm's Journey
- November 20, 2014
- Bacon Bandit Games
- 6h median play time
Letter Quest: Grimm's Journey is a decent concept ruined by lazy design choices and one of the most baffling pay-to-win adaptations I've ever seen.
Get on Steam
Get on Apple StoreIn Letter Quest: Grimm's Journey, players embark on a turn-based word-building adventure to help Grimm, a tiny blue creature, defeat monsters and bosses using their vocabulary skills. The game features over 40 stages, numerous upgrades, and challenging puzzles. Players must form words to deal damage, collect gems and special items, and unlock new books and challenges. With various modes, difficulty settings, and achievements, Letter Quest offers endless replayability.
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Reviews
- Letter Quest combines word gameplay with RPG elements, providing a unique and engaging experience for fans of both genres.
- The game features a variety of challenges and upgrades, allowing players to strategize and customize their gameplay, which adds depth and replayability.
- With its cute graphics, humorous storyline, and educational value, Letter Quest is enjoyable for players of all ages, making it a great way to improve vocabulary.
- The game's dictionary can be inconsistent, often failing to recognize valid words, which can lead to frustration for players.
- Some players find the game grindy, requiring repeated playthroughs of earlier levels to earn enough resources for upgrades, which can detract from the overall enjoyment.
- The music and sound effects can become repetitive over time, leading to a less immersive experience during extended play sessions.
- story50 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The story in "Letter Quest" is described as minimal and somewhat nonsensical, primarily serving as a light backdrop to the word-based gameplay. Players embark on a quest with charming grim reaper characters, but the narrative lacks depth and impact, often feeling like an afterthought. While the game features comic-style storytelling and a humorous premise centered around a quest for pizza, the focus remains on the word puzzle mechanics rather than a compelling plot.
“On a quest with Grimm and Rose, the cutest grim reapers you'll ever know.”
“The art style is adorable and smooth, the simplistic story is funny and compelling, and the 'special conditions' ensure that gameplay is never stale.”
“Essentially, you're a grim reaper-looking dude who's on a quest to get pizza - a much more relatable story than many other games I can think of.”
“The story is almost non-existent, but that's not really the point of playing something like this, so it never bothered me.”
“There is a bit of a 'story line,' but I put that in parentheses because it is barely there.”
“I had to go back over the comic while writing this because the story made virtually no impression on me.”
- gameplay26 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Letter Quest: Grimm's Journey" is centered around a word-building mechanic that combines RPG elements, allowing players to equip various weapons that influence gameplay outcomes, such as damage and experience gain. While the core mechanic is seen as somewhat dated, the game offers a variety of modes, challenges, and upgrades that enhance replayability and keep the experience engaging. Overall, the gameplay is described as addictive and well-structured, though some players feel it lacks innovation compared to similar titles.
“The mechanics, upgrades, and difficulty progression meld brilliantly with the learning content.”
“You can unlock/purchase accessories that make your character stronger in different ways, and the time attack mode adds some excellent variety to the gameplay.”
“There is a lot of replay value and lots of things to unlock, and the gameplay is addictive and well-fleshed out.”
“With that being said, this title is too standard, feels too mobile, and the core mechanic is too old for me.”
“The part that I get hung up on is that the core mechanic of building words is ages old, and frankly has been done to death.”
“It has the same basic build-words-to-attack mechanic as Bookworm Adventures, but I still feel that that title was more accessible and enjoyable.”
- music18 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The music in the game features a chiptune-inspired soundtrack that many find catchy and enjoyable, though it tends to become repetitive after extended playtime. While some players appreciate the soundtrack's charm, others have noted that it can become grating, leading them to lower or mute the volume. Overall, the music is seen as a mixed bag, with some praising its creativity and others criticizing its lack of variation.
“Every copy comes with a chiptune-y soundtrack - beats that would make Mario jealous.”
“The soundtrack is also very appealing.”
“Combine an addictive and unique combat system, hilarious and pleasant light-hearted writing, a gorgeous soundtrack, tons of references, loads of unlockables, and a relatively low price, and you have Letter Quest: Grimm's Journey.”
“I found myself turning the music down if not nearly completely off after the 3-hour mark hit as that was my limit.”
“The music may get on your nerves after a few loops, so do yourself a favor and lower/mute it in the options menu!”
“Very, very poor and immensely distracting soundtrack, with earworm quality to boot.”
- graphics17 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 24 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their cute, cartoony art style and smooth animations, contributing to an enjoyable visual experience. While some users noted that certain elements, like monster designs, could be repetitive, the overall aesthetic is considered charming and well-suited for a word puzzle game. However, a few reviews mentioned that the graphics could be seen as boring or serviceable, indicating a mixed reception in this aspect.
“Letter Quest reminds me strongly of Bookworm Adventures, both in its style of play and its adorable graphics.”
“Highly recommend this game, especially if you're a fan of the word puzzles genre - well-made, great art style and good level of challenge!”
“[b]Graphics:[/b] cute, smoothly animated, nicely cartoony, all round really nice.”
“The music is awful, the graphics are boring (the monsters are all basically recolors of the same five or six sprites, and they aren't even animated), and while you're not playing this game for a gripping plot, even the paper-thin story is lackluster.”
“Graphics are serviceable, and I did not encounter any bugs.”
“Difficulty is well balanced, graphics are simple and clean.”
- grinding16 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that grinding in the game is a mixed experience; while some players find it tedious and reminiscent of mobile freemium models, others appreciate the grind as a manageable part of progression. Many note that grinding is often necessary for achievements and resource building, but it can vary in intensity, with some players finding it enjoyable and not overly burdensome. Overall, the grind is seen as a significant aspect of gameplay, with potential to frustrate those who dislike repetitive tasks.
“So much boring grinding; it's bad because the game won't accept your word. I don't even mind grinding in a game, but this one is just dead boring!”
“The game is good, but its origins as a 'freemium' style mobile game are pretty obvious, as it can get insanely grindy. This was clearly done to nudge players towards micropayments on the mobile version (which are not present here).”
“Grinding seems to be obligatory if you want to progress.”
- humor5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its light-hearted and hilarious writing, which complements the addictive gameplay and charming art style. Players appreciate the clever references and engaging story elements that keep the experience fresh and entertaining. Overall, the combination of humor and unique mechanics contributes to a fun and compelling puzzle game.
“This is a funny little spelling puzzle game with some RPG elements.”
“Combine an addictive and unique combat system, hilarious and pleasant light-hearted writing, a gorgeous soundtrack, tons of references, loads of unlockables, and a relatively low price, and you have Letter Quest: Grimm's Journey.”
“The art style is adorable and smooth, the simplistic story is funny and compelling, and the 'special conditions' ensure that gameplay is never stale.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers a decent level of replayability through customizable characters, level challenges, and various achievements to unlock. While some players find the core experience somewhat lacking, others appreciate the addictive gameplay and the mobile RPG grind for loot that enhances replay value.
“There is a lot of replay value and lots of things to unlock, and the gameplay is addictive and well-fleshed out.”
“I do appreciate the mobile/lite RPG grind for loot and rewards to add replayability, but to be fair, the whole thing feels paper thin.”
“It's somewhat similar to other word games with the letter board, but you're able to customize your character and there's replay value with the level challenges.”
“This adds some replay value, as do the achievements.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game features in-app purchases for gems, typical of mobile ports, but is generally well-received due to the absence of ads and the engaging gameplay that encourages upgrades.
“Addictive, no ads, lots of upgrades and fun!”
“The monetization model is fair and doesn't hinder gameplay.”
“This is where it becomes quite obvious that the title was a mobile port (gems = in-app purchases).”
“The monetization strategy feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending money.”
“It's frustrating that essential features are locked behind paywalls, forcing players to spend if they want to progress.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate that character optimization in the game feels largely unnecessary, as the primary focus is on traditional word-spelling mechanics combined with RPG elements. Players engage in battles to defeat enemies and complete quests that enhance their abilities, but the optimization features, such as upgrades and leveling up, do not significantly impact gameplay.
“The game incorporates some RPG elements, such as battling through various scenes to defeat enemies with different abilities to modify the letter board. You are given quests involving spelling during battles, and you can buy upgrades to improve your hero's performance and level up your books to receive bonuses under specified circumstances.”
“The optimization of character abilities is well-balanced, allowing players to customize their heroes effectively without feeling overwhelmed.”
“The upgrade system is intuitive and rewarding, making it easy to enhance your character's performance and adapt to different challenges.”
“Character optimization just doesn't seem necessary.”
“The game incorporates some RPG elements, such as battling through various scenes to defeat enemies with different abilities to modify the letter board, but the character optimization feels lackluster and unimportant.”
“While you can buy upgrades to improve your hero's performance, the overall optimization system feels underdeveloped and doesn't add much to the gameplay experience.”
